Miss Blacklock had picked up the sherry bottle. She stood holding it uncertainly in her hand.

Patrick reassured her.

‘There’s quite half a bottle there. It ought to be enough.’

‘Oh, yes-yes…’ She hesitated. Then, with a slight flush, she said:

‘Patrick, would you mind…there’s a new bottle in the cupboard in the pantry…Bring it and a corkscrew. I-we-might as well have a new bottle. This-this has been opened some time.’

Patrick went on his errand without a word. He returned with the new bottle and drew the cork. He looked up curiously at Miss Blacklock as he placed it on the tray.

‘Taking this seriously, aren’t you, darling?’ he asked gently.

‘Oh,’ cried Dora Bunner, shocked. ‘Surely, Letty, you can’t imagine-’

‘Hush,’ said Miss Blacklock quickly. ‘That’s the bell. You see, my intelligent anticipation is being justified.’

Mitzi opened the door of the drawing-room and admitted Colonel and Mrs Easterbrook. She had her own methods of announcing people.

‘Here is Colonel and Mrs Easterbrook to see you,’ she said conversationally.

Colonel Easterbrook was very bluff and breezy to cover some slight embarrassment.

‘Hope you don’t mind us dropping in,’ he said. (A subdued gurgle came from Julia.) ‘Happened to be passing this way-eh what? Quite a mild evening. Notice you’ve got your central heating on. We haven’t started ours yet.’

‘Aren’t your chrysanthemumslovely?’ gushed Mrs Easterbrook. ‘Suchbeauties!’

‘They’re rather scraggy, really,’ said Julia.

Mrs Easterbrook greeted Phillipa Haymes with a little extra cordiality to show that shequite understood that Phillipa was not really an agricultural labourer.

‘How is Mrs Lucas’ garden getting on?’ she asked. ‘Do you think it will ever be straight again? Completely neglected all through the war-and then only that dreadful old man Ashe who simply did nothing but sweep up a few leaves and put in a few cabbage plants.’